Desert Fox
by BlueOctopod
Summary: The impossible has happened and Kurama has been trapped in a human body. Fleeing Konoha, he decides to take a young Naruto with him.
1. Chapter 1

Namikaze Minato had been a tricky bastard.

The man always had a trick up his sleeve, was always willing to pull off the impossible just to say he could.

He knows this, has seen it with his past jailer's eyes, so he really shouldn't be feeling as surprised as he currently is looking at the bars of his latest cage.

The seal spiraling across them isn't an Uzumaki work, but nor is it the rush job you'd expect given the circumstances.

Kurama knows enough of seals to know this one is a masterwork, but none of it makes sense.

The Uzumaki seals were elegant but utilitarian, every component obvious and every part accounted for.

This seal is not one of them. This seal has hidden edges and loops that curve at just the right angle to appear to be one thing but mean another.

He wonders why the human would chain him in a seal designed to look like an ordinary masterwork, a seal meant to conceal its own function.

Namikaze Minato had been a tricky bastard, though, so Kurama supposes he shouldn't be surprised.

* * *

The new seal lets his latest jailer hear him.

Not enough to make out words, not enough for him to actually manipulate it, but he can feel it react to his own anger at being trapped, to his boredom at being stuck in this cage.

This new jailer is only a kit though, and he finds himself doing his best to restrain his ever present anger without realizing it.

He's not a savage, he won't drive a kit to madness.

* * *

His jailer is four when the orphanage that shelters it tosses it onto the street.

Humans are filthy little creatures that hate anything they consider different, monsters that will punish a child for the sins of its father.

Kurama knows this, has known it for a while, so he can't explain the spark of rage he feels as the container stumbles out the door, clutching at a bloodied knee.

The kit is crying, fat globs of tears running down its face, and he can't explain the feeling in his chest.

It's anger, of course he's angry, he's furious, but it's something else.

It's something connected to the pattern on the walls of his cage, something that makes them flicker and fade when he focuses on it.

He can use that, can use whatever it is.

* * *

The kit is bleeding out.

There's a pair of human drunks at the edge of the alleyway and the kit is bleeding out against the bricks, eyes falling shut as they laugh with their hands all red.

No, he thinks, no, this is not how the kit will die.

He focuses on the feeling from earlier, the feeling that makes him want to rip the humans limb from limb, and pushes at the bars of the cage, watches as the flicker brighter and faster.

He starts in shock as the bars crumble, as the seal breaks, before leaping forward to take advantage of the opportunity.

There's a moment of dizziness, of disorientation, before the drunks are in front of him and he reacts without thinking.

It's over in moments, one human without its head and the other's chest torn open.

It's over in moments, and it takes him another to realize just what's going on.

Kurama reaches out a shaking hand, runs it across the body he seems to be inhabiting.

He has hair, he has skin.

He can feel a heart beating-he can feel his own heart beating, he has a heartbeat!

Breaths are coming faster, the body is starting to hyperventilate, when movement stirs behind him.

The kit's staring up at him and Kurama finds himself pressing a hand to its flesh without a second thought, concentrating as the chakra spills from his finger tips and sinks into the child's skin, slowly mending the jagged tears.

"Hey," he murmurs, pushing aside the rising panic, the rising need to know just what the fuck is going on.

"Hey, kit."

He watches the kit watch him, kneels down on shaking legs-on human legs-wondering what to do.

The seal is gone, his chains are gone, but he's trapped in a human body in return.

Konoha will no doubt want to dissect him, want to tear him apart, and he has a feeling they'll want to do the same to the kit watching him.

There's really only one solution.

"Come on," he says, lifting the kit up and moving to stand, "we're going."

"Where?" the kit asks, blinking back at him with nothing but curiosity in its eyes, and he pauses.

"We're going to a place where you won't get hurt anymore."

It bites at its lip before throwing its arms around him. He stiffens as the child tightens its grip before leaning back and smiling at him.

"My name's Naruto, mister."

Leave it to Kushina to pick a name like that.

"Kurama," he says, too exhausted to lie.

"My name is Kurama."


	2. Chapter 2

It really is the finest of ironies that the body he's stuck in looks like an Uzumaki.

He thinks this while he cuts his hair, deftly sliding the knife through the red locks again and again, watching as it flutters to the floor.

When it is as short as he can make it-soldier style, he thinks the humans call it-he unwraps the dye box swiped from the drugstore of the last town they passed through.

Konoha has to have people looking for the kit, it's best for both of them if he makes harder for her to be recognized.

The girl settles on the inn room's bed, legs crossed and hands in her lap, as he uncaps the dye and runs it through her hair.

"Did you meditate while I was shopping?" he asks, taking tinfoil out of the package and wrapping it through her hair.

Her guilty silence is his answer.

"It's alright, kit" Kurama finds himself comforting, wondering wryly just how that happened, "but it's important. You've got a lot of chakra, and you need to learn how to control it."

"But it's so boring!" Naruto pouts. He smiles wryly in response.

"It is," the former fox agrees, "but it's something we need to do."

"Like pooping?" she asks, and he doesn't bother to stifle his chuckle.

"Exactly."

The dye settles and Kurama takes the tinfoil off, casting an appraising eye over her hair.

It's as red as his now, no longer the sunny blonde she was born with.

Next he reaches into the bag and pulls out the brush and box he stole, lifting the brush and powdering the makeup over the whisker marks on her cheek.

"It itches. Why can't you just use-what'd you call it-a henge?"

"Because ninja will notice if we're using a henge. You don't want to go back to Konoha, do you?" he asks, raising a brow.

"No!" she practically yells in response.

"Well then," Kurama responds, "you have to wear the makeup."

Naruto falls silent, chewing at her bottom lip, before speaking again.

"Where are we going?"

He pauses mid brush stroke, thinking for a moment.

They could travel like they've been doing, live like nomads, but she'd be safer in the protection of a hidden village. Kiri is out, he doesn't want her to be raised by lunatics, the Land of Lightning is too much of an unknown, and he's heard bad things about Kumo. Naruto is young, she's bound to slip up, and he doesn't want that to happen in Iwa.

That leaves them with Suna.

"We're going to Sunagakure."

"Suna-ga-kure?" she asks, stumbling over the word.

"It's a few weeks away, we'll have to travel with a caravan to avoid attracting attention."

"What's it like?"

"I don't know, kit" he answers honestly, "I've never been."

There's another moment of silence, the pup chewing on her lip again-he's going to have to break her of that habit-when she speaks up again.

"Kurama?" the kit asks hesitantly, looking up at him as he sets down the brush.

"Yes?"

"Can I call you tou-san?"

He chokes on his own spit, brush forgotten as he stares down at the girl with wide eyes.

Tou-san? Really?

He's about to protest, about to tell her no, when he stops and thinks. He took the pup from Konoha, he's disguising her, he's teaching her about chakra. Hell, he's moving to where she'd be safest. He really is acting like a parent.

Just when did he get so soft?

Kurama hesitates, fingers drumming against his thigh, before speaking up.

"Sure, kit."

The smile he gets in return could outshine the sun.

* * *

Oda's bored. The merchants are all packed up, most of the workers are ready, but the boss is still insisting they stay just in case someone decides to come by late.

It's not like he can protest, he's just a guard, but holy fuck is it boring.

He's startled out of his lazy haze with a jolt, clambering to his feet at the sudden sight of a man in front of him.

The man's looking at him with amusement plain on his face, smirking smugly, and Oda already wants to punch it off his face.

"I hear you're looking for more tagalongs."

Boss hurries over at that, looking him over before speaking up.

"And what do you do, mister...?"

"Kurama," the stranger speaks, "Uzumaki Kurama. I'm travelling with my daughter." Oda blinks at that, suddenly noticing the kid next to him.

Uzumaki? The name sounds familiar. Boss seems to think so too, eyes narrowing at the man in front of him.

"You still haven't told me what you do." Boss points out again, steel in his voice.

"That's of no concern to you," the stranger says, tone casual. "All you need to know is I have money," at that he brings out a sack of coins and tosses them at boss.

Boss opens the sack gingerly, eyes widening at the gold inside. It's more than Oda would make for a year spent guarding even the richest merchants.

The sight of gold makes boss's previous hostility vanish, and he smiles widely at the stranger.

"We'd be happy to have you along, sir."

"Glad to hear it." The stranger smiles wide, teeth showing, and Oda straightens. No civilian smiles like that.

* * *

They're a week along and Oda is still watching Kurama.

The man doesn't move like a civilian, doesn't talk like a civilian, he's so obviously not a civilian.

The question isn't is he dangerous, the question is how dangerous.

If he's just another mercenary Oda could take him on, if he's a shinobi and he decides to fight they're fucked.

The kid with him is cute though, a ball of energy and sunshine, and even the boss smiles as her dad indulgently answers the questions she fires off.

"So," Oda starts, looking at Uzumaki out of the corner of his eye, "what brings you to Suna?"

Uzumaki hums once before answering. "We're planning on moving there permanently."

"Really?" Oda asks.

"Is there a problem with that?" the man asks, looking at him curiously.

"I've got a friend in ANBU there," Oda confides, "I've got a friend that says the jinchuuriki there kills people. Apparently he's the kazekage's kid so they can't do shit, but people keep dying."

"He just kills indiscriminately?"

Oda's not sure what that word means, but it sounds about right.

"Yeah."

Uzumaki doesn't seem bothered though, instead he seems almost...intrigued? Whatever it is, the look on his face gives Oda the creeps.

Oda finds himself staring at the horizon, wishing desperately they were closer to Suna.

He doesn't want to be around this Uzumaki Kurama for a moment longer.


	3. Chapter 3

The caravan is a few days away from Suna when Naruto works up the courage to ask tou-san a question. He isn't like the workers at the orphanage, he explains and doesn't punish her for not knowing, but she still feels nervous.

"Tou-san" she starts hesitantly, not noticing the way he stiffens at the word.

"Yes?"

"Are you sure we can stay? What if they tell us no? What happens then?" she asks, fear in her voice.

But her tou-san only smiles, shaking his head, before responding.

"Trust me, kit, they'll want us."

"But why?"

There's a pause, then-

"You remember when I told you about jinchuuriki?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I may not be in your mind anymore-and you remember no one can know that-but you still have my chakra. If this Kazekage is smart, he'll want a jinchuuriki, you'll make a powerful ninja. And if I can fix the seal on his kid he'll be in debt to us, and that will get us power over him."

"How do you know it's the seal?"

Kurama snorts.

"Trust me, kit. Normal human children don't go on rampages, this kid killing people has to be the influence of one of my siblings."

"Okay."

"Okay?" he asks, raising a brow.

"Okay." Naruto nods. "I trust you."

There's a wondering smile on tou-san's face, like he can't quite believe this is real.

The smile gets wider, turns joyful, when she reaches out a hand and tucks it into his own

* * *

Rasa is wondering over the demands to have Gaara put down, torn between his wife's memory and what's best for Suna, torn because the boy may be a monster but he's still his son, when he hears a knock on the door.

Yashamaru enters and Rasa straightens at the look in his eye. He looks hopeful, not like his usual melancholy state when reporting what Gaara's done.

"What is it?"

"A man arrived a few minutes ago claiming to be a Uzumaki seal master. He's offered to fix Gaara's seal in exchange for protection."

"What?" Rasa asks before he can stop himself, staring at his late wife's brother with wide eyes.

"He's waiting outside. Should I send him in?" Yasha asks, hope clear in his eyes, and Rasa waits a moment before nodding. Even if this man turns out to be a fraud, they are in desperate straits. Being able to actually control his son would be a gods' send.

The man enters after Yashamaru opens the door and gestures inside.

Rasa eyes him warily, noting the way he stands, noticing the ease in which he carries himself. Even if he's not an Uzumaki, he's definitely a shinobi.

He has the Uzumaki hair though, the Uzumaki eyes, and Rasa is starting to feel a flicker of hope when he notices the girl beside him.

She looks to be around five or six, easily Gaara's age, and his heart clenches as he watches her watch the man that's likely her father with adoration in her eyes.

"My name is Uzumaki Kurama," the man introduces himself, "and I offer my services in repairing the jinchuuriki's seal in exchange for protection for myself and my niece."

Rasa's eyes narrow. "And who, Uzumaki-san, could be hunting you? Why are you seeking sanctuary?"

At that the man settles a hand on his niece's shoulder and tilts his head towards her.

"We seek sanctuary because Konoha will be looking for their jinchuuriki."

He blinks, stunned into silence.

He'd heard that one of the Uzumaki had settled in Konoha, but he didn't think it was the container of the fox. He didn't think they had managed to reproduce!

Mind whirring, Rasa thinks through the offer. He can't afford war with Konoha, not with Suna in this state. But the man is offering not only the services of a seal master but a powerful jinchuuriki, a jinchuuriki that looks stable and sane.

"We accept your offer" he tells this Kurama, "under the condition that details are not finalized until Gaara is stable."

"Your terms are satisfactory."

"I have the tools necessary," the man continues, "but it will be easiest if the boy is sedated."

He watches him, watches and debates, before deciding to throw caution to the wind. This is a desperate gamble, but one worth undertaking.

"Follow me."

This Kurama follows him, niece holding onto his hand, as Rasa strides through the halls and orders Gaara brought to him. He ignores the way the ANBU pale, ignores that he's likely sending them to their deaths. The loss of a few men is worth a jinchuuriki that can be controlled.

They arrive in the Kazekage's personal med-bay. Uzumaki nods when Yashamaru points out the sedatives available, looking them over before picking the one he recommends from the few times Gaara has had to be forcibly restrained.

Finally his son arrives, "guarded" by two different ANBU.

Rasa hopes this gamble is worth it.

* * *

The boy is a mess.

Kurama can see that as easily as breathing, can see the dark circles around his eyes and the way his hands tremble.

More tellingly, though, is the chakra he can sense.

It's Shukaku's chakra, blanketing the boy and practically suffocating the boy's own. It's his weakest sibling's chakra, and Kurama represses a smirk.

He knows Shukaku, this will be laughably easy, even if he has to pretend to be a normal human. Thankfully landing in a human body did something to his own chakra, twisting it until it is nearly unrecognizable.

The guards grab the boy as he picks up the syringe, jerking back as he grabs the boy's wrist before he can react and slides it under his skin.

A beat, a pause, and then the boy collapses.

"Good," Kurama states before kneeling down and taking the equipment needed from his clothing.

"Naruto?"

"Tou-san?" she asks.

"I want you to watch. I'll explain the details of it later."

Naruto nods, settling onto the floor next to Gaara.

He ignores the way the Kazekage and his guard lean forward as if to pull Naruto away before remembering themselves and retreating.

The brushes are out and the ink bottle is uncapped before he rolls up the boy's shirt and takes a look at the seal.

Simply put, it's a disaster. Kurama knows seals, knows their intricacies since humans first started the practice, and he can safely say this is the most fucked up one he's seen.

"This is a mess." He comments, ignoring the way the Kazekage's eyes narrow.

"It's fixable," he adds when the guard-Yashamaru, he thinks that's his name-opens his mouth, "but whoever did this didn't know a single thing about fuinjutsu."

"The complete seal should take an hour. You're welcome to watch, but I will need silence."

The Kazekage and the guard nod reluctantly, so he sits down and gets to work.

The next hour passes by slowly, Kurama sketching out every detail from what he remembers of the Uzumaki seal.

There's no sound but their breathing and the tune Naruto's humming under her breath.

Finally it's finished. He sets down the brushes before laying a hand on the boy's stomach and sending a pulse of chakra through, watching as it sinks into his skin.

He reaches down and shakes at the boy's shoulder, leaning back as he groans back into consciousness.

The boy's father-and uncle? They look similar-watch cautiously as the boy wakes. Kurama's pleased to see that Naruto stays by his side, clearly unafraid.

* * *

Tou-san isn't afraid, so she won't be either, Naruto thinks to herself as she watches the other two men in the room flinch back.

Her tou-san will protect her if he has to, she knows this, so she doesn't move when the boy she's sitting next to starts to wake.

Green eyes blink awake as the boy stirs, clumsily lifting up his head to look at her and then at Kurama as they sit next to him.

His father flinches back but the boy doesn't move, instead staring for a moment before turning his gaze to the men standing.

"I can't hear it" the boy whispers, "I can't hear mother."

The other men in the room's eyes widen, shock in their gaze, but Naruto is focused on the boy next to her. He's starting to breathe heavy, clearly panicking, and she reaches out a hand without thinking.

He stops when she settles a hand on his shoulder, green eyes turning towards her.

They really are very pretty eyes, she thinks absentmindedly before startling as the boy grabs a hold of her and settles his head onto her lap, curling up next to her.

Kurama snickers at that and she ignores him, turning to look at the boy's father.

"Well," the Kazekage finally starts, "it seems our agreement is fulfilled."

"Let's settle the details." Kurama says, nodding at the man, before reaching out a hand at Naruto's pleading eyes.

They manage to untangle her from Gaara, Kurama pulling her to her feet as the Kazekage's guard reaches down and picks up the boy, settling him onto his shoulder as he snores.

The Kazekage stares at the sight, eyes wide, before turning again to tou-san.

"Follow me."


	4. Chapter 4

Kurama knows what kind of man the Kazekage is.

The man wants power, craves power. Oh, he may wrap it in justifications and rationalizations, he may claim it's for the good of the village. But Kurama has not lived so long without learning to measure a man, and he can tell this one is addicted to the thought.

At least the ones that want power are the easiest to manipulate, he thinks, watching the Kazekage watch him from across the desk.

Finally the man speaks.

"What exactly do you want, Uzumaki-san?"

Kurama smiles, the smile he knows humans find unsettling.

"I already said I want protection for my niece. I also want her to have an education at your shinobi academy and a reasonable salary to raise her on. In addition I want to spend a year training her before sending her to your academy. I am willing to serve Suna for these terms."

He watches the kazekage. It's a precarious position he's put the man in, to have him risk the wrath of Konoha. But he's also offering the man the might of a jinchuuriki and the services of a supposed jounin. In addition, he's done the impossible and fixed the seal on the man's son.

Kurama is the one with the power right now, and a man as experienced as the Kazekage has to know it.

"...We will have to construct a background for you and your niece." Rasa finally says, and he smirks in response.

"I have travelled across every land but lightning, I can easily claim knowledge of most areas. Writing me as a missing-nin that came across his daughter in an orphanage would be the most convincing. Naruto just has to undergo a change of name for it to be complete."

"You've thought this through." Rasa remarks, a thoughtful glint in his eye.

"I care about my niece," he responds, his seemingly mild tone hiding bite.

"We have several estates currently without owners. Suna is willing to pay for a certain degree of any possible renovation costs. You may receive the standard pay of an academy teacher for one year, but after your 'daughter' is enrolled I expect a shinobi of your talents to join the force."

"I assume these estates are near your own?" Kurama asks, not bothering to hide his amusement. It's a good move, to mask the need to keep an eye on potential hostiles with a seemingly generous offer.

"Yes." The wry tone of Rasa's voice makes it clear he catches the meaning behind Kurama's amusement.

"Very well. I accept."

"Excellent. Now," Rasa rises from the desk, moving to the door of his office. "Shall we?"

He tilts his head in response, stepping through and smiling at the scene laid out in the room before him.

Naruto is pressed up against the wall of the Kazekage's waiting room, the man's son leaning on her shoulder. She's telling him the story of their caravan trip, though the boy seems more focused on running his hands across the unfamiliar fabric on her shoulders than actually listening.

Judging by the half bewildered, half awed expression on the face of the guard watching them, the boy has never been so close to another child-at least without the threat of violence.

"Hey, kit." Kurama walks over to the wall and squats down, smiling as Naruto leans forward and dislodges the boy.

"You need a new name, alright? We need to be able to lie if Konoha asks Suna if they have a Naruto living here."

"What'd you have in mind?"

Kurama blinks. "I thought you could pick."

Naruto bites at her lip, thinking it over, before lifting her shoulders in a shrug.

"I dunno."

"Akemi," the guard speaks up then, moving from his lean on the wall.

"What?"

"Akemi," the guard repeats. "It means bright."

Kurama looks expectantly at the girl, waiting for her answer.

"Uzumaki Akemi," she says, testing out the words on her tongue, before nodding decisively.

"I like it."

"Now," Kurama starts, turning to the Kazekage, "I want to get the kit fed and then I want a look at the available estates."

"Of course."

"Come on, then." he says, turning back to Naruto.

"Can Gaara come with us?"

The boy blinks at that, eyes going wide as he looks between his father and the guard.

"Sure." Kurama shrugs, ignoring the disbelieving looks the kazekage and guard cast his way. The boy's seal is nearly perfect, he made sure of that. Besides, the kit could use a friend.

The girl beams, reaching out a hand and gesturing for the boy to get up. This Gaara follows her lead, seemingly in a daze as she runs for the door.

"Wait for the rest of us!" Kurama calls at her back, snickering as her steps slow.

He follows the pair out into the street, stopping beside the guard to tilt his head into the noon day sun. He stands there a moment, feeling the heat scorch his skin, before a hand tugs on his.

"Come on tou-san" Naruto pouts, glaring up at him.

"Alright, alright" Kurama laughs, letting himself be pulled along, savoring the feel of sunlight on his skin and smiling at the sight of his daughter _(his daughter)_ laughing all the while.


	5. Chapter 5

"She's **missing?!** " Jiraiya shrieks, ignoring the warning glare his former sensei sends him.

"Yes."

"For how long?"

Hiruzen pauses in the middle of lighting his pipe, looking decidedly uncomfortable, before responding.

"Naruto has been missing for four months."

"Four months?" He finds himself hissing out. "Minato's daughter has been gone for four months and I just find out now?"

"Do not take that tone with me!" Hiruzen snaps back. "We had no way of finding you, and you were avoiding the usual locations for missive drop-offs."

Jiraiya silences at that, still glowering, before speaking up.

"I assume you want me to find her."

"Yes."

"Do you have any information?" He says with a scowl.

"The gate guards were put under a high level genjutsu."

"No child can perform that."

"No," Hiruzen sighs, "but once Torture and Interrogation dived into their memories, they found images of a man with red hair and blue eyes leaving the village."

Red hair and blue eyes.

"Kushina made it clear she was the last of her clan."

"Jiraiya," his sensei says wearily, "we both know that may not be true."

"So what are you saying?" he starts, pacing across the office floors. "A Uzumaki clansman found Naruto and recognized her as Kushina's daughter? He kidnapped her because she was the last connection to his clan?"

"That's for you to find out."

"Yes, sensei" Jiraiya forces out through gritted teeth.

He leaves the office with a scowl, not noticing Hiruzen put his head in his hands in a rare display of weakness as he strides away.

* * *

Jiraiya has spent three months tracking the man that kidnapped Minato's daughter.

He's a clever one, the spymaster will give him that. The unknown man apparently used makeup and dye to disguise the girl, clearly knowing shinobi would notice a henge.

That only increases his nerves.

There's so many things this man could want, so many possibilities even if he somehow doesn't know Kushina's daughter is a jinchuuriki too.

The trail comes to a stop near the Land of Lightning, and Jiraiya finds himself retracing his steps back to Konoha, angry and frustrated, when he catches a lucky break.

There's a drunk caravan guard in the inn he's staying at, a man very willing to talk about travelers when motivated with free drinks.

Jiraiya's only partly paying attention when the guard mentions a creepy shinobi traveling with his daughter.

"Tell me about him?" He asks, discreetly filling the guard's cup.

"He had red hair and blue eyes." The guard slurs. "Real creepy too. He smiled too much, you know? He smiled like he knew he could kill you without breaking a sweat. His kid was cute, though."

"His kid?"

"Yeah, he had his daughter with him. Cute kid with red hair and blue eyes like him. You could tell they adored each other."

"What was the kid's name?"

The guard hesitates at that, but his hesitation is quickly overcome when Jiraiya slips him a stack of ryo.

"Never caught her name. Guy said his name was Uzumaki Kurama, though."

"And where was he headed?"

"Said they were gonna settle down in Suna," the guard responds after draining the cup dry.

Well, fuck.

ANBU could sneak the girl out and eliminate the shinobi. They could, if the Kazekage doesn't know he has a jinchuuriki in his city. If Rasa knows they're fucked. They can't afford to expose weakness and they can't afford to accuse another village's ruler of something that treasonous.

"Thanks." Jiraiya eventually responds, slipping the guard another stack of ryo before standing.

"Hey!" the guard calls out to him, causing him to stop. "Be careful if you go after the guy, alright? We had good men guarding that caravan, trained mercenaries, and I know he could've killed us all without breaking a sweat."

Jiraiya nods before leaving, determined to find information on this Uzumaki Kurama.

* * *

There's nothing. By all possible accounts, Uzumaki Kurama doesn't exist. The only thing Jiraiya hasn't tried is travelling to Uzushio to search for the clan archives, and he only does that because he's too far away to travel to the ruins quickly.

With no other option, he hitches a ride with a caravan and heads to Suna.

He lets Hiruzen know where the girl likely is, adding on a postscript that he's entering the city soon, before sending the missive. It's definitely a risk, but it's the only option available.

Jiraiya travels in, marks covered and hair styled, under the guise of a merchant. The guards barely pay attention, glancing at his fake identification before waving him through.

He's wandering the streets, not sure where to even start, when a cold voice calls out behind him.

"Hello, spymaster."

Jiraiya turns, forcing his hands away from his weapons, to see who called.

This must be Uzumaki Kurama. The man has Kushina's eyes and Kushina's red hair, though it's cropped close to his scalp.

The man regards him for a moment, something like disgust in his eyes, before inclining his head.

"There is a cafe nearby. Perhaps we could talk?"

He studies him, wonders what kind of game he could be playing, before nodding and following after the man.

This Kurama settles at one of the tables, waiting for Jiraiya to sit across from him, before speaking.

"I assume Konoha wants my daughter back."

"Your daughter?" Jiraiya hisses out without thinking, fury in his voice.

"My niece, if you insist on going by blood ties." The man says mildly. "But I consider her my daughter."

"Kushina didn't have a brother," he counters.

"Konoha didn't know everything about my sister," the Uzumaki, because he has to be a Uzumaki, bites back.

"Setting aside your lack of knowledge, I'm going to assume you're here to drag Konoha's prized jinchuuriki back." He spits out the word _prized_ like it's something foul.

"So you know." Jiraiya states, mind whirring.

"Of course I know. And Rasa does too." He adds. "The kazekage was very grateful to have a Uzumaki seal master fix the one on their jinchuuriki. Extraordinarily grateful, you could say."

"Rasa is a man attracted to power as well," Kurama continues. "A man like that will not turn down another jinchuuriki."

Jiraiya clutches the table, fingers white with fury, before speaking.

"Why? Why take Naruto from her only home? For power? For wealth?"

Kurama snarls, actually snarls, before leaning back into his chair.

"I'm going to tell you something, spymaster, so listen carefully. I want you to imagine a little girl. A bright girl with a sunny smile and an active mind. I want you to imagine her sleeping on the floor in an orphanage, malnourished because the matron makes sure she isn't fed nearly as much as the other children."

"I want you to imagine the orphanage kicking her out onto the streets when they deem her too wild. And I want you to imagine this scared little girl not going to the hokage, not when he never intervened while she was in the orphanage."

"One bad institution doesn't-"

"Do you want to know how I found her?" Kurama hisses out, fury in his voice.

"I found her bleeding out in an alleyway, a pair of drunks standing over her and crowing about how the filthy demon was finally dead. Your precious village nearly killed my daughter."

Jiraiya falls silent. He knows this man is telling the truth, he can tell. Oh Hiruzen, why didn't you take care of Minato's daughter?

"You could take her by force," Kurama continues, staring him down. "But say you succeed. Say, against all odds, Rasa does not protest when you drag her back. What then?"

"My daughter will never be loyal to Konoha, not after what they did to her. A jinchuuriki is a weapon to you, and a disloyal weapon is no use at all. How long until the council calls for her death and a new container? How long until your hokage bows to their demands?"

Jiraiya wants to protest. He wants to say it would never happen, wants to scream out denials. But the heavy feeling in his gut lets him know he can't deny this truth.

"I thought so." Kurama leans back again, settling into his chair and looking at Jiraiya with cold eyes, before a voice calls out.

"Tou-san!"

"Akemi!" the man responds, laughing as a young girl with bright red hair and blue eyes runs up to them. Jiraiya stills. The whisker marks may be gone, her hair may be a different color, but that's Naruto standing next to Kurama.

That's Naruto, smiling Kushina's wicked grin and looking at the man with adoring blue eyes that perfectly mimic Minato's.

"Who's this?" the girl asks, peering at a dumbstruck Jiraiya.

"He's from Konoha."

Jiraiya feels a surge of guilt when the girl jerks back, hurrying to hide behind Kurama.

"Don't worry, kit." The man soothes. "You won't have to ever go back there."

"You promise?" Naruto asks, stepping out from behind the chair to look at Kurama.

The man laughs. "I'll burn down the entire town if I have to, kit. No one will make you go back there again."

"Akemi!" a child's voice shouts, and Jiraiya turns to see a group of children wave at the girl. That must be what they're calling her. Clever, to have a denial ready if anyone asks if they've heard of a Naruto.

She smiles brightly, looking at Kurama once before running off to join them.

"I don't care what you tell the hokage or what you tell your council to excuse your failure." Kurama starts, eyes narrowed. "But we both know she'll never go back to Konoha."

"You've made sure of it." Jiraiya agrees.

"I have. The guards will escort you out," Kurama tells him, and at that moment a pair of ANBU materialize on either side of him.

Jiraiya lets them lead him out to the gates, mouth twisted in a bitter smile all the while.


	6. Chapter 6

He's so small. That's Kankuro's first thought as he looks-really looks-at his little brother for the first time in years.

His memories of Gaara are blurred and vague. Father had made sure Kankuro and Temari didn't interact with their younger brother unless absolutely necessary.

Kankuro feared Gaara-everyone in Suna feared Gaara. It's hard to remember that though, hard to remember when he watches the small boy clutching at Uncle Yashamaru and looking around with wondering eyes.

Temari shifts into a battle stance subtly, aiming a glance at the man talking to tou-san a few feet away. He joins his sister in watching the stranger, noting his bright blue eyes and the hair, red like fire, that's cropped close to his scalp. Kankuro's sister looks at him then, a silent dare to go up to them in her eyes, when they're interrupted by a shape slamming into Gaara.

Everyone freezes before Kankuro steps back and Temari reaches for her kunai, before they realize Gaara hasn't even flinched.

Instead he's smiling at the girl practically hanging on him, actually smiling at the girl chattering away into his ear.

She has the same hair and same eyes, the same nose and same smile as the man talking to father. That's all Kankuro's managed to notice before she turns and aims a blinding smile at him.

"Hey! I'm Uzumaki Akemi! Who're you?" she asks, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

He blinks, looking at this loud and strangely enthusiastic girl, this girl that's touching his little brother without a trace of fear.

"I'm Kankuro, and this is Temari. We're Gaara's siblings."

"Cool! My tou-san is over there. His name is Kurama." she says, turning to point at the man talking to their father. "He's the one that fixed Gaara's seal."

"Fixed his seal?" Temari ventures.

Akemi shrugs. "Tou-san said Gaara was acting all homicidal because the seal was broken. He said the Ichibi was making him do things."

Kankuro blinks. He didn't think they could actually fix his brother.

He looks closer at Gaara, notes how the ever present circles under his eyes are gone, how he doesn't look like he's about to either fight or flee.

For the first time in his life Gaara seems at peace.

* * *

She's used to thinking of Gaara as a sandstorm. He's always been something unpredictable and vicious, a force of nature with no care for the destruction he leaves in his wake.

Now though, while she's feeling unusually poetic, Temari's tempted to compare him to one of the rare few oasis found in the desert.

He's calmer than she's ever seen him, his usually thrashing chakra still as water.

Her brother is smiling, actually smiling, and it's not even a bloodthirsty grin. No, it's something gentle, something that looks entirely out of place on his small face.

He looks like a real child. He looks like just another boy, not the demon container the shinobi whisper about or the monster the civilians pray will never notice them.

For just a moment Temari contemplates the boy in front of her being an imposter or a replacement.

But then Gaara's smile fades as he looks at them, his eyes reverting back to their previous blank stare, and she reconsiders.

He's not an oasis or a sandstorm. He's like one of the snakes or spiders that wait in their holes and burrows for prey to pass by. He was vicious and wild before. Now he's still dangerous, but it's tempered by patience and a calm she never thought he'd achieve.

Temari shifts her gaze then, eyes drifting to the girl beside her little brother. The girl with a sunshine bright smile and bright blue eyes, the girl with Uzumaki red hair.

Kankuro, from his place beside her, is focused entirely on Gaara. Temari doesn't blame him, he's never shown father's knack for politics.

Temari has though, has inherited their father's shrewd nature and strategic talent.

Uzumaki Kurama has made Gaara even more dangerous, turned him from a mindless force to a future killer with patience and calm. This man will be dangerous, she knows, but not nearly as dangerous as his daughter.

Her little brother is clinging to the girl, his eyes on her once again. He looks almost adoring, a smile blossoming again as the girl twines her hand in his. Uzumaki Kurama may have tamed her brother, but his daughter is the one controlling him.

* * *

The voice is gone. Mother is no longer screaming at him, urging him forward and onward, yelling that he ought to make them bleed.

Gaara looks down at his hands, watching as he presses his fingers together. His body feels like it belongs to him again.

He doesn't feel like one of Kankuro's puppets anymore, doesn't feel like one the marionettes the street performers dance with, doesn't feel like someone is pulling his strings.

The voice is gone, and now he feels strangely empty.

Gaara's happy, of course he's happy that he's not being controlled anymore.

But it's lonely, to go from years of constant noise to complete silence.

That thought is cast aside, though, when a hand reaches out to his. He curls his fingers around Akemi's, turning to look her in the eyes.

Gaara is smart for his age. He knows that a man suddenly showing up just to fix the seal is suspicious. He knows this Kurama has to be plotting something.

But it's hard to care when Akemi is smiling at him. It's hard to care when she didn't fear him, even though she must have heard the rumors. Tou-san masked it well, but Gaara knew he was still afraid. Uncle was frightened, Kankuro and Temari stayed away.

But this girl has accepted him, has asked for nothing but a smile in return.

The silence is overwhelming, this strange seal master is plotting, and he sees the way Temari watches him, cautious and still afraid.

He doesn't care though. He doesn't care when Akemi's smiling at him so brightly, nothing but acceptance and honest happiness in her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: In case anyone is wondering, Gaara and Naruto are seven, Temari is nine, and Kankuro is twelve.**

* * *

A year has passed since the Uzumaki man came to fix the seal on her little brother. A year Temari has spent watching him, a year she's spent cautious and wary.

Kankuro takes to the Uzumaki and his daughter with an almost disturbing ease, at least when he's not recklessly throwing himself into contact with Gaara. But Kankuro, Temari will admit to herself, isn't the brightest, not like her or father or even Uncle Yasha.

It makes sense for him to ignore the danger these unknowns pose-and yes, her little brother is one of those unknowns. Gaara is being influenced by these Uzumaki, there's no telling what they could persuade him to do. At least, she thinks, he'll be in the academy soon. They may not be in the same class, but she'll have time to watch him. (Kankuro can call her paranoid all he likes, it's needed.)

Temari expects to see her little brother during lunch times and the few training sessions where the teachers have the older students help the younger ones.

She doesn't expect to walk into the classroom and see Gaara sitting in the seat next to hers, nor does she expect the smile aimed at her from the Uzumaki girl on Gaara's other side.

"Gaara."

"Temari," Gaara greets her, tilting his head just slightly.

"Why are you here?"

"Uzumaki-san and Uncle Yasha were very good teachers," he tells her. "The academy thought we should be placed in your class."

Temari pauses, looking at her little brother and the girl next to him before sitting down with a sigh. She did plan on watching him, Temari internally concedes. It's just that now it'll be a little-no, a lot-more up close and personal than she'd have liked.

Gods, Kankuro is going to be insufferable.

* * *

Father pulls him aside as Uncle Yasha prepares to escort him to his first day at the academy.

"You are my son," father says, looking down at him, "and because of that you will be watched. You must be an example. Other students may settle for average but you are the child of the Kazekage. You cannot."

"I understand, father," Gaara replies steadily, voice calm and confident. After all, Kankuro had already warned him.

"Good."

Father starts to walk away and Gaara pauses, thinks of the hugs Akemi's shared with her own father, thinks of how he ruffles her hair and holds her hand when she's distressed.

"Father?" he calls out, stepping forward as the man stops and turns.

Gaara pauses, willing himself to move, before slowly raising his arms and wrapping them around his father's waist.

A beat, a moment of silence as father freezes, before the hug is returned.

"Have a good day," the Kazekage mutters, voice soft, as he strokes back his son's red hair without thinking.

"Yes, father," Gaara nods back, turning and looking up into Uncle Yasha's bewildered eyes.

Akemi is right, Gaara thinks as he follows Uncle Yasha out the door. Hugs do help.

* * *

School, Gaara decides, is _awful._

He'll admit that the literature is interesting and mathematics and history are easy. Even the science part is fun, especially when the sensei starts to talk about making poison.

No, the lessons are alright. What makes the academy awful is everyone else. Well, everyone but Akemi, but that goes without saying.

Temari continues to watch his every movement, obviously thinking he'll eventually snap. And it hurts, it does, that after even a year she still thinks of him as a monster, not as her brother.

The sensei is cautious too, watching him as though he'll snap or shatter. It may not be obvious to the civilian students, but Gaara was raised shinobi, he recognizes the defensive stance she takes and the way she looks at him. The sensei is assessing him, trying to figure out just how dangerous he is. Gaara's found he doesn't like it, doesn't like people treating him like he's a threat when he isn't, not anymore.

But Uzumaki-san had warned him, he remembers, had told him that it would take time for people to stop thinking of him as a monster, that it would take time for them to see he wasn't out of control anymore.

Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt, though. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt when the other students pick seats as far away from him as possible. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt when everyone refuses to spar with him during training, when Akemi is the only one that volunteers. Even Temari refuses and she's his sister! Isn't that supposed to mean something?

He finds himself missing Kankuro and that's just wrong, especially since the other boy won't stop stealing his food and ruffling his hair.

* * *

She likes the new name better.

Naruto was her name when everything seemed dark, when it seemed like everyone wanted to harm her or didn't care that she was being hurt.

Akemi is a much better name. Akemi makes her think of hope, makes her think of tou-san appearing to rescue her and makes her think of meeting Gaara.

Gaara, whose face has gone blank as yet another student edges away from him as the sensei divides them into pairs for their first spar.

"Uzumaki Akemi!" the sensei shouts, waiting until she raises her hand to show she's heard.

"You'll be partnered with Gaara."

Someone actually gasps at that, the other students muttering and edging even further away, but Akemi just rolls her eyes. She's sparred with Gaara loads of times, it's not like this will be any different.

She's vaguely aware of Kankuro's class filtering out through the doors and onto the training ground, but she's not really paying attention. Not when the sensei shouts "go!" and Gaara moves.

Akemi dodges fluidly, leaping to the side and rolling forward as Gaara lunges.

The boy pulls back before she can grab him in return, settling into a familiar stance and smiling when she does the same.

A kick forward that he dodges, a punch that he escapes, and then finally she manages to hit him.

The crowd around them goes silent as Gaara staggers backwards, but the boy doesn't do anything but smile in response before leaping forwards.

Akemi ducks and weaves around his punches, flips forward and grabs hold of his wrist to bring him down to the dirt. He flips up after crashing down, dodging the fist she sends and ducking before punching her straight in the nose.

She laughs, ignoring the crunching noise and warm trickle of blood. Instead she leaps forward, ducking under his high kick and twirling until she staggers him with another blow to the ribs.

By now a space has formed around them, the other students and even the sensei backing up. She hasn't noticed though, too lost in the now familiar rhythm of the fight.

Gaara feints left before surging forward, ducking her swing but unable to avoid her kick. She grabs hold of his leg and he buckles, throwing herself into a roll and taking him with her.

Akemi tightens her grip like tou-san taught her, watching as Gaara slams into the ground before lifting his head off the dirt and coughing.

"I yield."

She looks up at the sensei, a question in her eyes, and the woman comes closer.

"Akemi, excellent job. Gaara, you may have lost, but you also did remarkably well. However, I think you two are done for today."

"Understood, sensei," the two chorus as Akemi helps him up.

It takes a moment before she registers the staring. Looking around, she notices how even Kankuro is staring in shock, how the expressions on the other students range from blatant surprise to poorly hidden fear.

But perhaps most unsettling is the look on their sensei's face. It's clear the woman is revising her opinion, and Akemi has no doubt this means she'll be the center of attention for the rest of class.

Well, she thinks as she watches Gaara wipe sand and dirt off his face, at least it won't be boring.


End file.
